Press-release-LSYM-Guide_4-7-15

Transcripts - Press-release-LSYM-Guide_4-7-15

1.
Green Schoolyards America announces the release of
our first annual Living Schoolyard Month Activity Guide.
FREE DOWNLOAD:
www.greenschoolyardsamerica.org
The movement to green our school grounds and connect
children with nature has taken an important leap forward.
The California state assembly adopted a new resolution
that encourages school districts to design and construct
schoolyard green spaces and use them to teach academic
curricula outdoors. Authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting
of San Francisco (D), the Living Schoolyard Month Resolution
(ACR-128) establishes an annual, statewide celebration of
school grounds to be held each year in May. Building on the
success of previous statewide school garden programs, it
expands the depth and breadth of outdoor education beyond
horticulture and nutrition to connect schoolyard greening to
the health of urban ecosystems, child development needs,
and the quality of life for students and their local communities.
May 2015 is the first annual celebration of Living
Schoolyard Month! We encourage schools across
California and beyond to take their students outside during
the month of May—and throughout the year—to celebrate
their grounds and use them for hands-on learning, place-
based inquiry, recreation, environmental stewardship and
community-building.
green schoolyards america
greenschoolyardsamerica.org
The 2015 Living Schoolyard Month Activity Guide was
created in honor of the first Living Schoolyard Month. It was
developed by Green Schoolyards America in collaboration
with our colleagues from 40+ organizations across California
who contributed a wide range of ideas to help schools bring
students outside and use their school grounds to their fullest.
Including over forty hands-on activities for PreK-12th grade
students, the Guide covers a range of themes including: Art,
Recreation, Health, Wildlife Habitat, Watershed Stewardship,
Schoolyard Agriculture, Energy and Climate, Thoughtful Use
of Materials, and Place-Based Understanding.
Activities in the Guide were written by organizations that
include: schools and districts, such as Berkeley Unified
and Los Angeles Unifed School District; local and state
government agencies, such as StopWaste and the California
Coastal Commission; non-profits such as the American Heart
Association, National Wildlife Federation and Life Lab; and
museums such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, California
Academy of Sciences and Lawrence Hall of Science.
We encourage schools to celebrate Living Schoolyard
Month using the ideas in our Activity Guide, and other
activities they develop themselves. After the event, schools
can send in a summary of their celebrations and we will
share them online.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Green Schoolyards America
info@greenschoolyardsamerica.org
Living Schoolyard Month
2015 Activity Guide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE